"Vinyl in Vancouver" (Jim Summers Remix)

So when did Vancouver get remixed? Apparently it happened back in the '05... Boxing Day to be precise. I had my head lodged in the sand again and did not realize the city had gained another record shop to satiate my listening and shopping urges.

And so it goes. 2005 saw the closure of two of my regular hang-outs, On Deck of Tinseltown/West Georgia St. fame and Active Pass, which in turn served as a sort of short-term replacement for the long-standing Bassix before that institution closed its doors in 2004. My initial reactions were mixed. I had already added some CD players to my arsenal of DJ toys and was fully reaping all the benefits of online music shopping. Yet I would still find myself dusting off my faithful Techs to give them a whirl or stubbornly plunking down hard-earned lucre for that 12", knowing full well I could find the same tracks online for $2 a pop. The fact remained: I had steadily moved away from records but I never wanted the record stores to go away, ever.

Now that I'm all caught up to speed with reality, I can tell you some of my early impressions of Remix Records on Granville Street. As record stores go, it's clean and organized. Everything is meticulously arranged, right down to the little table dedicated to the sprawl of party flyers. The store occupies the lot formerly taken up by that stripper supply depot, Alexis of California and in a nice touch, has kept some of their old lighting fixtures.

Oh right, ther'e something else that may be worth mentioning. The records are cheap! Expect to pay $13 for a single instead of the usual $17 or $18. Yes, things are just a little bit more civilized at Remix. And that includes the staff. I got a hold of proprietor, Jim Summers, who just so happens to be the former electronica & vinyl buyer at the now defunct Virgin Megastore, and peppered with some questions about the good life, post-Virgin. Here's what he had to share:

What are your fondest memories during your 10-year stint at Virgin Megastore?
For me it's all about the music so most of my fondest memories there involve the hundreds of concerts I got to see and many of my favorite artists that I was able to meet... Grandaddy, Saint Etienne, Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers, Coldplay and Metric to name a few. Working there also led me to some recognition and other opportunities - for example I was presented with a double platinum record for Moby's "Play" for helping to break it in the Canadian market and I was asked to pick tracks for two cd releases (Chilloutmix 2 & 3) that combined sold around 40,000 copies across the country.

How long have you had plans to open up your own record store?
Well like many people I've always kind of wanted to open my own record store, but when Virgin shut down last September it was the kick in the pants I needed to actually do it. Working there in the weeks after the switchover in
ownership I was amazed at the customer comments, particularly regarding the loss of the vinyl section - so many people seemed disappointed, even upset about it. They all had such good things to say about records they had bought there over the years - and about product from other departments that I bought for - cd singles, imports and electronic music. So I thought why not take what I was doing there to a new location, hence the birth of Remix Records!

How does Remix stand out from the other music shops, big and small, in Vancouver?
One thing that makes Remix stand out is pricing - most 12" singles in other dj shops average at $16.99 each, but at Remix they average $12.99 - $13.99 - customers are always saying good things about that. I aim to be just as competitive on my cd pricing as well - especially in the electronica department - the prices are much lower than in the "big box" stores. Another thing is a lack of attitude - in my visits to other dj and indie specialty stores over the years I often found that if you weren't friends with the staff or part of their clique - or didn't like the music they liked, then you weren't made to feel very welcome in their stores. At Remix, if you're a superstar dj (or even if you think you are!) or a person just curious about getting into electronic music, you will be treated with the same respect.

Your grand opening came on the heels of a couple record store closures that year. Did you take away any lessons from those stores when setting up Remix?
To be honest I had no idea that On Deck and Active Pass were closing - that was just luck or good timing on my part. I wasn't really concerned about what other dj stores were doing - I wanted to continue what I established at Virgin, but with the addition of some things that I wasn't able to do there - like adding vinyl listening stations and creating a more exciting atmosphere that reflected the kind of music that I was selling.

How's the response been so far to Remix?
The response has been amazing - I've actually written down a bunch of quotes from customers - they all have such great things to say about the store. It's the endless great feedback that keeps me going on the tougher days.

A random, interesting fact about yourself!
I enjoy puppet shows!

Remix Records
1228 Granville St.
Vancouver, BC
Canada V6Z 1M4
Telephone: 604.681.0044
Fax: 604.681.0084